A microgrid is a semiautonomous grouping of distributed energy production supply units, energy storage units and loads within a local area. The loads may be energy consuming/consumption units, a grouping of several sites, or dispersed sites that operate in a coordinated fashion. The production supply units may include generators, wind turbines, fuel cells, photovoltaic/solar, and other small-scale renewable generators. All controllable supply units, storage units and consuming units are interconnected in a manner that enables devices to perform certain microgrid control functions. An energy consuming/consumption unit/component can for instance be a household equipment and utilities, e.g., a fridge, freeze, TV, oven, heating system, washing machine etc. An example of an energy storage unit is a battery. Microgrids may supply power to shopping centers, college campuses, and/or residential areas, for example.
A solar home system may be viewed as a microgrid. Such a system will operate until the battery is discharged and then turn off. However, from the perspective of the end user, not all devices are created equal. For example, access to a small amount of light may be more important than an extra few minutes of phone charging. The distribution of power may therefore be considered unfair in some situation. It is therefore desirable to have some form of power management to provide needed power in a microgrid and in a controlled manner. It is also desirable to minimize acquired and/or purchased energy from an energy grid or macrogrid. A macrogrid is a centralized grid such as a national grid, a regional distribution network and/or transmission distribution network.